Is Ken Burns Taking Up Too Much Space? He Doesn’t Think So.

<p>From “deepfaking” Anthony Bourdain’s voice to <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/video-dept/reeducated-film-xinjiang-prisoners-china-virtual-reality" target="_blank">reconstructing a re-education camp in Xinjiang</a> — technologies like A.I. voice generation and V.R. are warping the boundaries of documentary filmmaking. So how does a veteran like Ken Burns, who has spent over 40 years documenting American history, think about the ethical questions attached to these tools?</p><p>In this conversation, Kara Swisher learns why Burns was “very troubled” by <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/07/16/1016838440/ai-brought-anthony-bourdains-voice-back-to-life-should-it-have" target="_blank">the use of A.I. voice generation</a> in a recent documentary about the late chef and food journalist Anthony Bourdain. She also asks him to respond to a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/31/982706363/filmmakers-call-out-pbs-for-a-lack-of-diversity-over-reliance-on-ken-burns#:~:text=Television-,Filmmakers%20Call%20Out%20PBS's%20Lack%20Of%20Diversity%2C%20Over%2DReliance%20On,color%20struggle%20to%20build%20careers." target="_blank">public letter in March</a> questioning PBS’s commitment to diversity and criticizing the network as having an “overreliance” on Burns and his films — which include his latest series on the boxer Muhammad Ali. Burns also explains why he considers Mark Zuckerberg an “enemy of the state.”</p><p>You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more information for all episodes at <a href="http://nytimes.com/sway" target="_blank"><strong>nytimes.com/sway</strong></a>, and you can find Kara on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/karaswisher" target="_blank"><strong>@karaswisher</strong></a>.</p>